Cannot Turn a Blind Eye
by StarflightLunaSpirit
Summary: Yuki's view on her friend, Kali, gets disrupted when a nightmare plagues her mind...or does it? Kali belongs to Deviantart user HardtoThinkofName.


The first thing Yuki saw when she awoke was a faceful of leaves. Thinking it was just a prank, most likely by either Gumo or Kali, she giggled and shook the pile of leaves off. It was just a normal day for Yuki when she laid her head to rest under a tree. She was tired from bucking the trunks of many fruit-bearing trees, as bashing her ram-like head many times in a row would just make her stumble on her own hooves.

"Alright you two! You got me...there..." Yuki's words trailed off when she did not see her friends' mischievous grins.

She looked around the dying environment. It looked nothing like the Nibel she lived in. Where there was a running river was just an empty bank. Only red, crunchy leaves topped some trees. Most of the lifeless trees were barely standing, and looked as if they were going to fall. The sky even seemed lifeless and a low fog rolled near the undergrowth.

"Th-This...This isn't funny!" Yuki called out. Nothing. "Gumo? Kali, Hume?" Yuki nervously took a step forward, "Ori! Naru, anybody!"

She looked towards Naru's cavern. It would have to do for now. Yuki shook off the remaining leaves from her snow white fur and made a dash towards the entrance. She prayed that she would find at _least_ somebody she knew. Gumo, Ori, Shira, or even Rai.

"Naru!" Yuki felt relieved when she saw Naru seemingly resting, "Naru have you seen Ori, or anybody? Why is everything dying? It's really bad out there!" She had noticed that she didn't even stir, "...Naru?"

Yuki prodded her side once. No response. She tried again, "Naru come on...you're just...faking this right...?" Yuki got a bit agitated and shoved Naru, "For Nibel's sake get up already!" Naru still didn't respond. She just laid there. The young forest spirit had just noticed she didn't seem to be breathing. She clasped her hands to her mouth and stepped forward to Naru, "Naru?...No no no...please Naru. Ori could be out there!"

She felt tears forming in her eyes as tried lifting up one of Naru's mighty arms, but to no avail. The weight was too much for even Yuki and she collapsed on her knees. She pressed her cheek against her friend's, and gave her a warm embrace that seemed to last for a whole day. Yuki accepted the fact that Naru was gone.

"I'll look for Ori. Thank you for being a good mom to him, Naru." Yuki steadily stood up and begun to make her way outside. She looked back at Naru one last time, "Goodbye..." Yuki then begun searching for any other signs of life.

The first sign of life was not what she expected.

...

Yuki encountered the first sign of life while she was searching around Sorrow Pass. She was trying to get to high ground, in hopes of finding somebody. She saw something big and black flying in the distance.

"Hume?" Yuki knew Hume was the only large owl she knew, "Hume! HUME!" Yuki called out. She felt relieved when she saw the owl turn around and approach her, "Thank goodness he's alri-" Yuki was interrupted when she heard a screech. An angry screech that shook her to the bone. "Hume! It's me Yuki!"

The owl wasted no time in attempting to attack Yuki. She stumbled back when the predator stomped the ground in front of her. She felt her stomach drop when she recognized the owl. It was the _same_ owl she heard from stories of the past, and the _same_ owl whose spirit was a part of Kali and plagued her friend's nightmares.

Kuro gave a furious screech, her white eyes burning with pure hatred. Her talon lashed out at Yuki, just _barely_ missing her. She was swept up into the air. When Yuki landed on the ground, she immediately scrambled for shelter. Black feathers blurred her vision and confused her. Kuro's screeches rung through her ears. She felt something and grabbed it. Kuro gave another angry shriek as she took flight, her powerful wings stirring the wind violently. Yuki yelped when she found herself clinging onto Kuro's leg.

Yuki thought she could talk some sense into Kuro. She is, in a way, her friend; just in a different form. She yelled at the top of her lungs, "KALI! I MEAN-" Wrong name. "KURO! LISTEN TO ME! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!" She braced herself as she heard Kuro cry out angrily as she tried to shake her off. "KURO! THINK...THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD!"

Kuro dove down and slammed onto the bottom of the valley. She hopped into a river and stomped in the water. Yuki felt water pour into her throat forcefully. It was a miracle that Yuki did not slip off the great owl's leg. She still was determined to try to snap her out of her angry state, "KURO LISTEN TO ME!"

"KALI!"

She shrieked in fear when she felt nothing to grab. She landed in the river and tried swimming to shore. Yuki's escape was cut short when she felt Kuro's talons around her body. She felt the owl slam her to the bottom of the riverbed. Yuki could still hear her angry cries through the water. It was no use. Yuki's vision grew blurry as she felt darkness enter her mind. With a feeble cry, she hugged Kuro's talon before welcoming death.

...

 _Yuki felt absolutely nothing for a second. She never felt so cold in her life...yet, she was still breathing._

" _I'm alive?"_

" _Yuki! Yuki wake up!" She heard a voice calling out to her. It was...so distant, but it was there. She reached above her head, and felt a cold wall blocking her way. She pounded at it, trying to break through the surface. The voice still called out to her, "Yuki! Yuki!" Yuki gave a mighty punch to the ice and broke through._

 _SCREEECH!_

"KALI NO!"

The world seemed to spin around the little spirit as she snapped her eyes open. Her fur was ruffled from all the tossing and turning. Her mouth was open and she drew in quick breaths.

"Yuki!" The ram-spirit's widened eyes looked into Kali's eyes. While the owl-spirit's eyes were their normal amber color, Yuki saw them burn with pure white fire.

"K-Kali! KALI! Snap out of it!" Yuki waved her paws at her, "It's me! It's me!" She pushed herself away and held up a trembling arm over her head.

"Yuki! I'm not doing anything to you! It was just a bad dream!"

She would've spoke correctly if she wasn't choking on tears, "Why?! Kali why?!" Her breaths shuddered as her muscles nearly gave away.

"Yuki-"

" _Why did you do all those horrible things?!"_ Yuki screamed.

...

The night after her nightmare, Yuki couldn't sleep. She distanced herself from Kali, but always trying not to run away from her. She didn't even talk with Ori, Gumo, and even Naru. By the time when the sun disappeared from the horizon, Yuki was sitting near the edge of a lake. She stared at the water that shimmered underneath the starshine. Behind her stood the Spirit Tree...the same tree that Kali-... _Kuro_ attacked.

Kali, Kuro, Kali, Kuro, Kali, Kuro...

" _LISTEN TO ME! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!"_

Her very _existance_ made Ka- _Kuro_ want to tear her to pieces.

" _THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD!"_

The stories were true.

 _SCREEECH!_

She wasn't thinking about her child.

" _KALI!"_

Yuki shut her eyes. It was _Kuro,_ not _Kali_. It was a monster who- No! Kali's not a monster, but isn't she Kuro too? Her friend never did _any_ of that, right? _Wrong!_ Kali wouldn't do that! It was _Kuro!_ It was that monst-

"Yuki?"

She barely stirred as she heard Kali's voice from behind her. She clenched her teeth as she almost heard the owl's growls hover over her head. Yuki shuddered a bit and clasped her paws around where her horns sprouted from. She tried her best to steady her breathing...and then she spoke.

"Kali...why? Just...why did you do that?" Yuki asked with a hushed voice. She didn't even look Kali's way as she felt her presence from her right side.

The owl-spirit stood quiet for a second. "Yuki...how would you feel if everything you cared for were just suddenly _ripped_ away from you?" Kali tried to keep her voice steady.

Yuki almost went stiff when she remembered that fateful day..."M-Mom..."

Kali softly sighed, remembering the night when Yuki told her about her sudden loss. "Then take that pain and have it repeat..." Kali counted her losses when she was Kuro. Her mate, her firstborn, second-born, and third child..."...Four times, and you couldn't do anything-" She felt Yuki suddenly wrap her arms around her sides.

Yuki fought every instinct that told her to run away from the owl. She recollected the very day she met her. Perhaps it was fate that made Yuki ram her head into the tree Kali slept on...but even fate is not always good to every being. The little ram and the owl knew that so well.

"K-...Kali?" She tried to steady her voice again, "I-I...I'm so..." She sniffled. "I'm so sorry. Y-You probably heard it a- a lot, but I really m-mean it." She thought back to the legends that rang with truth. "And...I'm grateful. I-If you didn't-" She shoved away the thought of her friend being blasted away in light. "Then we wouldn't-...we wouldn't even be here..."

Despite Yuki's teary stuttering, every word touched Kali's heart. She was right. If not for Kuro's sacrifice, Nibel would be only a field of ashes. If not for her sight restored, then no other creature would've lived to see daylight. If not for her decision, she wouldn't have been reborn and she wouldn't have met Yuki.

"I..." Kali's gaze shifted towards the Spirit Tree, and then back to the spirit that still embraced her. At first Yuki was a...strange character to her. Never before any spirit had approached her with such friendliness, and it made her realize how much Kali wanted a friend. "...Thanks Yuki..."

Kali blinked when she didn't hear Yuki respond. She softly sighed in relief as she felt the little spirit's steady breathing. It wasn't quite surprising. She hadn't had a good night's rest. Kali eased herself onto her back, letting Yuki rest her head on her chest. Yuki shifted her head several times, so she could hear her heartbeat.

"Sweet dreams...little sister..."

* * *

If you haven't noticed, this is basically a revamp of "Yuki and the Withered Forest." Kali belongs to Deviantart user HardtoThinkofName.

I actually started to cry a bit while writing the ending.


End file.
